Starting Hong Kong Variety Show: My senior brother is Lingling Qi

“In the entire Shanghai Bund, not to mention the Chinese and public concessions, there are thousands of opium dens and nearly a hundred large and small opium shops in the French Concession alone.”

"Due to the huge volume of shipments, each opium shop needs to purchase opium from all over the country and overseas every month."

In the concession, in the headquarters building of the former Sanxin Company and now the Huasheng Group, Lin Tongfei was holding documents and reporting the company's business status to Zheng Jirong behind the desk.

"But boss, you also know the situation in ZH today. During the transportation of opium, it is often stolen and robbed by some scattered stragglers and gangsters. The losses are not insignificant."

"For this reason, after consultation, the major tobacco companies unanimously decided to pay protection fees in exchange for protection to reduce losses."

"The three tycoons of the Qing Gang have also begun to change their role from robbing cigarettes to protecting the cigarette shops. They charge 10% of the escort money for the goods of each cigarette shipping company to ensure the smooth transportation of cigarettes."

"Later, the protection targets were extended to various opium dens, and protection fees called "cigarette donations" were collected. The company collected "license fees" for smoking guns on behalf of the patrol house, which increased from a few cents at first to a few yuan in the end. The French Concession Hundreds of thousands of cigarettes provide Sanxin Company with hundreds of thousands of income every month.”

"After that, Sanxin Company directly participated in the sales of opium, changing its role from a simple protector to a protector and participant. Over the years, it made huge profits and monopolized the entire Songhu opium market."

"Last year's revenue alone was as high as 57 million! One company alone accounted for one-third of the Beiyang government's annual fiscal revenue!"

"How much?!" Zheng Jirong, who was still calmly holding a cup of tea, suddenly couldn't sit still.

He turned around and asked Lin Tongfei in disbelief: "Are you sure it's 57 million oceans?!"

"Sure," Lin Tongfei replied quickly and affirmatively: "I have been looking through the financial statements of Sanxin Company these days. For this 57 million, it has been abandoned and turned over to the concession authorities, government officials and surrounding warlords. and other figures’ fees.”

"Take the French Concession Authority as an example. From the Consul General of country F to the general staff in the patrol house, they all receive a certain share of fees on a monthly basis, with the Consul General receiving the most."

Having said this, she picked up the document in her hand and flipped it over, "It says on it that the fees paid to the consuls of various countries last month alone were as high as one million oceans!"

"Tsk tsk tsk"

Zheng Jirong shook his head with emotion after hearing this, "It's really a gold belt that kills people and sets fire. No wonder that bastard Lu Yuesheng didn't even blink when he said he would pay millions of dollars to buy his life in the military camp last time. I'm afraid except for that foreign devil like Sassoon, He is the richest in Shanghai!"

Thinking of this, he frowned with a headache. The reason why he was able to successfully occupy Sanxin was because of the words coercion and inducement.

Those intimidating are the powerful people like Lu Yuesheng, while those who are tempting are the backers behind Sanxin Company.

Originally, he was very confident that he could build another company in Shanghai that could rival Sanxin, but after listening to Lin Tongfei's report, he instantly lost his confidence.

Even if he opened a bank, he wouldn't be able to earn 50 to 60 million yuan a year!

In these days, there are only a few ways for powerful people to make money. The first is to plunder the masses, increase taxes, and ruthlessly scrape the poor people's money. In areas under the jurisdiction of some warlords, you have to pay taxes to build a house. , you have to pay tax when buying livestock, and you also have to pay tax when you kill livestock and eat their meat. Anyway, the geese pluck their feathers when they pass, and the animals leave their skins when they leave. You have to pay taxes on everything you do except breathing.

Some warlords in Henan have already raised taxes to after 1950, and Tang Yulin in Rehe even raised taxes to 1972!

The second is to borrow money from great powers. This can only be done by big warlords. For example, the current Beiyang government relies on cooperation with Japan to stabilize one side. Advanced weapons and huge loans allow warlords to ease their own pressure. situation.

Zheng Jirong can't do these two things. First, he has a hard conscience, and second, because he doesn't have that much power. To put it bluntly, he is now the leader of the Yihai Gang in Shanghai, and he is not a big warlord who cedes territory and governs himself. How could he be so powerful? Big rights.

Of course, in addition to these, there are other ways, such as seeking the support of local "tycoons", growing DU products within their own sphere of influence, creating clever names, accepting bribes, setting up banks and issuing banknotes indiscriminately.

Among these methods, the first one is reliable. Others are either impossible to do or not qualified to do.

Therefore, in the final analysis, Zheng Jirong's current ability cannot satisfy the appetite of the foreigners behind Huasheng Company.

But it doesn't matter, the point is to fool them first, use Huasheng as a gimmick, and use coercion and inducement to attract all the gangs in Shanghai to affiliate themselves with the company. This is his purpose.

As for the conflicts that will arise in a few months due to the uneven distribution of the spoils, they will have to settle accounts with him as the chairman. By then, he will already be in Hong Kong Island. If you have the ability, just come over!

In Shanghai today, the Chinese community is controlled by the Ax Gang and Ma Yongzhen's Little Knife Society. The public concession was originally the territory of the Qing Gang. Since that night at the military camp, it has now all belonged to the Ax Gang. The only exceptions are Zhang Wanlin and Ding Li from the French Concession. .

It has been almost a month since he arrived in this world, and he no longer has the patience to carry out Xu Tuzhi's plan. Now the Ax Gang has expanded several times, absorbing a large number of dock coolies, mine workers and refugees from the North. The gang has already It expanded to tens of thousands.

After occupying Sanxin, the cash flow on his books also increased exponentially. Now that he has many people and a lot of money, and a strong backer, he has no reason to play with these scum of society by playing courteous first and then attacking.

But Zhang Wanlin was a comprador after all, and his official status was very strong. It was not suitable for him to kill him himself. It was just right to send a stupid young man like Ma Yongzhen to do it. If the foreigners did a thorough investigation, there would be someone who took the blame.

As for Ding Li, if he knows the situation, leave him a copy in Huasheng Company. If he doesn't, then he can only send him down to see Xu Wenqiang.

"boss"

"Since you are Lili's cousin, you can also be considered one of our own. Just call me Brother Rong like them."

"Brother E Rong." After hearing this, Lin Tongfei glanced at Zheng Jirong, who was turning the lighter on the opposite side. After a pause, he continued: "Since Huasheng eliminated the opium business, there have been serious cash flow problems. The original The source of profits has almost stopped. Without the blood transfusion of the opium business, except for the casinos that can still operate normally, almost all other businesses are in trouble, and even the casinos are in trouble these days."

"What's wrong?" Zheng Jirong asked curiously.

After he took over the company, he immediately withdrew more than half of the millions in cash on his books. Don't get me wrong, he didn't take the money for fun. He handed it over to Shen Zui before his hands were warm. superior.

All I got in exchange was, "When the Northern Expedition succeeds and your contribution is reported to the principal, I will give you a Blue Sky and White Sun Medal in exchange for it!"

Zheng Jirong has no feelings for this medal, but if the Northern Expedition can be ended early and the north and south of the country can be unified earlier, it doesn't matter if he pays more money. Anyway, the money is easy to come by, and with Bai Chongxi standing behind, what should he do? I knew what was going on, so I treated this little money as protection money.

As for what Lin Tongfei said just now, he was not surprised. In addition to the tobacco and soil trade, Sanxin had previously been engaged in lending business. There was less cash in the account, and it was normal for the lending business to shrink.

But the casino itself is a cash cow used for blood transfusions. As long as someone is covering it, generally speaking, there shouldn't be any problems.

"A few days ago, we had a group of Japanese people come to the largest casino in the French Concession. These guys act in a very high-profile manner and have already won tens of millions in just a few days."

"What?!"

When Zheng Jirong heard this, he stood up angrily and said, "Why didn't you tell me until now?"

Lin Tongfei quickly explained: "They are not all Japanese. There are also many ZG people with unique temperaments and speak with southern accents. The people in the casino did not think about other aspects at first, but when they won more and more The more time went by, the more I realized something was wrong.”

"What's wrong?" Zheng Jirong asked with empty eyes.

"They seem to be able to see through dice cups."

"."

There are countless casinos in Shanghai, but the most famous are the Ximen Casino opened by Zhang Wanlin and No. 181 founded by the three Qinggang tycoons.

Casino No. 181, as its name suggests, is located at No. 181 Fuxi Road. It covers an area of ​​more than 60 acres and is one of the largest casinos in Shanghai.

In addition to luxurious decoration and many gambling projects, it also has one of its biggest features, which is called the "three whites": "free eating", "free drinking" and "free smoking".

There are bars supplying famous wines such as "whiskey" and "brandy"; there are Chinese and Western restaurants serving fine Chinese and Western dishes; there are opium couches supplying fine opium cigarettes and flavored cigars; there are also "Sanwu Brand" and other high-end cigarettes and seasonal fruits. Wait, whatever the gamblers need, the service provider will bill you and collect it from the supply office without taking any penny.

This method accurately captured the citizens' love for taking advantage, and attracted a large number of customers to the casino in just a few days. 181's name became popular throughout Shanghai.

This place was originally run by Lu Yuesheng Huang Jingui, with Ye Bufan, the prodigal son of the Thirteen Taibao, as the manager. Although it has now changed hands with the Ax Gang, Zheng Jirong did not let Ye Bufan lose the position of manager to him.

At this time, everyone in the casino hall focused their attention on a gambling table in the center of the hall.

Different from other gambling tables around, this place is surrounded by onlookers, their eyes tightly fixed on every action on the gaming table, as if they are afraid of missing any detail.

Ye Bufan glanced at the short-haired woman across the gambling table, and the expression on his face became solemn.

In the past few days, this woman dressed in men's clothing would appear in his casino on time at two o'clock every afternoon with a group of subordinates. She only played dice cups and was sure to win every game. She would win three million oceans a day and leave in style.

In just three days, this group of people has already won nearly ten million, and the casino's financial reserves have been almost exhausted. If she wins again today, the casino won't even have the money to pay her!

"Manager Ye"

Wearing a white suit, the woman with neat short hair elegantly lit a cigar, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled it. In the midst of the smoke, she spoke lightly to Ye Bufan, with a hint of contempt and provocation in her voice.

"Casinos are in the business of welcoming customers. If you, Ye Bufan, are afraid that I will win money, then you might as well close the shop as soon as possible and go sell SH bags. How dare you open a casino if you are afraid of losing money?"

Ye Bufan took a deep breath, tried to calm down the fluctuations in his heart, and then said slowly: "Ms. Jin, as I said just now, it's not that we are afraid of losing money, but that the casino's cash reserves happened to be completely used up in the morning, and the new one The batch of cash will be shipped from the bank tomorrow."

Having said this, he then spread his hands and said, "Even if you want to gamble today, our casino doesn't have the money to compensate you."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The woman laughed and said, "If it's for this matter, then I have a good idea."

She clapped her hands, and the boys behind her immediately placed the black suitcases on the gaming table. After opening them, they saw that they were full of banknotes.

"If you don't have cash, just use the casino as chips. A dice cup. If you win, the money will be all yours. If you lose, the casino will be mine. What do you think, Mr. Ye?"

Looking at the table full of big banknotes, Ye Bufan admitted that he was a little moved. All of this money was won by these people in the past few days, amounting to nearly tens of millions!

How much does a casino cost?

The reason why No. 181 became popular was because of the reputation of the three tycoons of the Qinggang and his business methods, Ye Bufan, not the location.

But when he saw the men standing behind the woman, his originally agitated mind suddenly fell silent.

Every time she placed a bet before, the woman would ask those people in advance, and they could accurately tell the size of the dice every time.

No exception!

If this continues, even if he does use the casino to make chips, the result will be a loss anyway!

"how?"

The woman challenged: "You don't dare, do you?"

"I"

"Bet with her!"

Just when Ye Bufan was in a dilemma, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the casino.

Zheng Jirong slowly walked in from the gate with Zhou Xingzu and Lin Tongfei.

Looking at the short-haired woman sizing him up, he took off the cigar from the corner of his mouth and asked calmly: "My Excellency, Zheng Jirong, is the owner of this casino. Who is your Excellency?"

"Hahaha, so you are Zheng Daheng." There was a hint of chill in the woman's smile, and she looked at him coldly and said, "You can call me Jin Bihui, I am just an ordinary gambler."

"Jinbi.hui."

After Zheng Jirong recited it word by word, a strange smile appeared on his originally expressionless face, "It turns out to be Miss Jin. I have admired her for a long time."

"Zheng Daheng, there is no need to be polite." Jin Bihui shook the cigar in his hand and asked casually: "You just said you wanted to bet with me, weren't you kidding?"

"Of course, I never joke, but there is something I need to ask first."

Zheng Jirong smiled and glanced at the men behind the woman.

"What's going on with you guys?"

"."